In the meat and meat packing industries, cleanliness is paramount to the entire operation. Meat and meat byproducts, by their very nature, carry bacteria. These bacteria can, however, be harmful to humans and/or animals that eventually consume the meat or meat products. As it is very difficult to eliminate all of the bacteria during processing, measures are taken in order to control bacterial populations within the meat and meat products.
One way to assist in controlling the bacterial growth is to employ robust conveyor systems that are easy to clean. Conveyor belts and conveyor systems, however, are not altogether new, but instead, are frequently utilized today to transport meat. This means that these belts are almost constantly in contact with meat and meat byproducts. These conveyor systems typically have problems with bacterial growth because of the existence of crevices that are difficult to clean. Because of the frequency of use, it is desirable to have a conveyor system that reduces the ability for bacteria to grow, namely, by reducing the number of crevices or areas that are difficult to clean.
The most frequently employed conveyor systems comprise a number of interlocking conveyor modules linked together to form a conveyor belt, which is driven by a sprocket. More recently, it has been determined to be desirable to have the ability to replace rollers on such conveyers. Some examples of these types of conveyor systems are U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,148,990, 6,997,306, 7,364,038, and 7,419,052.
However, all of these designs require forming an element of the roller and axle holding system on the module itself, limiting the operator's flexibility as to the type and orientation of the roller installed on the module, and coincidentally limiting the application of the module. Additionally, direct engagement of the module with the rotating axle or roller itself results in premature wear of the entire module. This problem is exacerbated by the material requirements of the module surface dictating the material constraint of the wear surface engaging rotating axles and rollers. Further, these are generally directed to ball rollers which provide only a point contact for support of the load carried, as opposed to the line contact of a roller. They further fail to control the directional movement of the load.
Therefore, there is a need for a conveyor system that addresses at least some of the limitations associated with the conventional systems. In particular, a conveyor system is needed that is easy to clean, which reduces the number of crevices where bacterial growth can occur unchecked. Additionally, a conveyor system is needed that is flexible in its orientation of rollers and extension of rollers to permit efficient and affordable reconfiguration for different applications, and maintenance. It is further desirable to provide a system that has replaceable wear components.